A ROUGH GUIDE TO INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE (IA)

bad No IA vs Good IA

1. About me

2. Information Architecture (IA)

3. Case study

4. IA Costs and Best practice

5. Questions

bad No IA vs Good IA

15 years IT experience (UX designer, Project Manager, etc)

MSc in UX at the IT University of Copenhagen

Projects in e-learning, health care and e-commerce

UE work experience

Other interests: tango, biking, design and photography

1 Adrian Iacomi

INTRO. UX & IA. THE IA EXPERT.

2 Information Architecture (IA)

Hospital sign: “Entrance at the bodyguard”

Parking sign: “Stop. Don’t park. I cut wheels. (car number)”

Street sign: pay the parking by text message.

Usability – how easy can a website be used, and how easy can the user remember the actions necessary to accomplish simple tasks.

Interaction Design (IxD) – it refers to the interaction methods with the software and the received feedback. In day to day practice it overlaps with IA and UX.

Information Architecture (IA) – is the art and science that applies brick & mortar architecture principles in organizing information, creating navigation and search systems for a software product.

User Experience Design (UX) – fully encompasses traditional HCI design, and extends it by addressing all aspects of a product or service as perceived by users [Wikipedia]. It can cover IA, Visual Design, IxD and Usability testing.

IA, UxD, IxD, Us, etc – the plain word version

Organizes information in logical systems

Labeling systems

Navigation systems

Site maps

Search systems

Creates personas

User tests

Creates storyboards and scenarios, etc.

The IA expert

METHOD. EXAMPLE. NO IA. GOOD IA.

3 Case study

Method Description: testing the usability

and findability of hardware products on Romanian web shops

Goal: search sound card

Method: user testing

Analyze: finding IA problems and proposing solutions

1. Search in the navigation menu2. Search by using the autosuggest3. Results obtained by using the autosuggest4. The compare products function5. Display product6. Contact web shop from the product page7. Feedback shopping basket8. Recommendations from the product page9. Recommendations after sale

Analyze Web shops

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eMag EvoMag PC Garage Cel DC Shop Flanco Media Galaxy AvStore

Websites analyzed

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

! The test is made only to showcase UX methods, it is not a precise benchmark

SEARCHING FOR A SOUND CARD

Scenario

MOST IMPORTANT FINDINGS/EXAMPLES

No IA

0. Website identity

! update – both websites have the same owner

• Card sorting

• Eye tracking

• Measuring time for finding elements in the menu

1. Menu organization

• User tests

• Card sorting

• Keywords for relevant searches

2. Autosuggest and categories

• Way too many options?

• Testing – how many wrong links does the user click on

3. Search with autosuggest

• Measure the time necessary to find elements in the page

• Test versions with adds and without

• Test variants with only the shopping cart button colorful

4. The importance of page elements

• Measure the time necessary to find elements in the page

• Using eye tracking on the page – how easy is to find information in the page ?

• Supporting the website objective – selling products?

5. Product page layout

• User test – how many buy/view any of the recommended products

6. Irrelevant recommendations

Good IA

• Good product list layout

• Products can easily being compared

1. Product list layout

• Connecting product categories (sound card and speakers)

2. Relevant recommendations

• Clear messages – the user receives feedback after every important action.

• The product compare area is clearly displayed.

3. Adding to the shopping cart

• Clear messages – the user receives feedback after every important action.

• Easy to navigate layout

4. Website Feedback

5. Layout clarity

IS IT WORTH INVESTING IN IA ?

4 IA Cost and Best practice

Disadvantages:

Money, time and personnel

Ego problems

Advantages:

Reducing costs later

Verifying design proposals

Creating the right products for the client in need, at the right time

IA cost

1. Test before release any product or idea

2. Instinct and experience are important, but without user tests nothing can be sure

3. All layouts must be created by following the main goal of the page

4. Keep consistency in navigation and design

5. Use autosuggest with relevant results

6. Make IA/UX an important part of the software project creation

Best practice

AND ANSWERS

5 Questions

Books: Information Architecture for the World Wide Web (Morville), Smashing UX Design (Allen), A Project Guide to UX Design (Unger), Sketching User Experiences (Buxton), Don't Make Me Think! (Krug), Designing for interaction (Saffer), The design of everyday things (Norman), The elements of User Experience (Garrett), etc

Websites: www.uxbooth.com, www.iainstitute.org, uxmag.com, www.smashingmagazine.com, www.interaction-design.org

Conferences: WIAD, 2014.iasummit.org, www.ux-lx.com, www.euroia.org.

IA resources